650 Bedroom Ideas for 2018

Welcome to our bedroom photo gallery featuring hundreds of bedroom design ideas for 2018. This is our main Bedroom design gallery where you can browse hundreds of photos or filter down your search with the options on the left. We hope you find your inspiration here. We add new designs every week.

Another bedroom offers a comfortable bed with a hardwood flooring and white walls. Trulia

The master bedroom features comfortable large bed and a nice sitting place on top of the stylish rug in front of the TV on top of the fireplace. There's a doorway leading to the balcony featuring glass doors. Trulia

Types of Bedrooms

According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the average new home is 2,315 square foot with 2.56 bathrooms and 3.38 bedrooms. The total area devoted to bedrooms hovers around 29 percent. In fact, no other room comes close regarding the amount of space it occupies. Personal care including sleep makes up about 10 hours every day.

These figures speak to the importance of the bedroom. Therefore, it makes sense to consider what’s involved including the costs of upgrading or adding another one to your home.

A. Preliminary Bedroom Planning

You’ll need to consider several factors whether you’re remodeling or making changes to your home. It’s not a snap decision because of the red tape and money involved. You’ll need to get a building permit. You may end up affecting the appraised value of your home which can, in turn, raise your property taxes. It’s essential to consider the consequences of your choices.

B. Bedroom Cost

Budget is a crucial part of the decision-making process. It includes many make-or-break decisions. You must do your research to avoid any unpleasant surprises. For example, a building permit averages $1,237 depending on where you live. And if you’re installing an addition, your costs may top $40,000 or more.

You can rein in your expenses with more modest upgrades. Installing new flooring will cost you around $2,800. Repainting a room can create a big impact without the high price tag. It’s crucial to set a budget and figure out the costs for each part of the remodeling project if that is your end goal. Consider the cost of furniture and any other additions you’ll want to make.

Costs range from less than $1,000 for a child’s room to upward of $3,500 for a completely furnished master bedroom. Of course, you can work in some wiggle room with refurbished pieces and second-hand furniture. When you’re figuring out your budget, do it as line items to see where you can scale back if necessary.

C. Types

There are four basic types of bedrooms with lots of variation in between. The three most common are:

Master

Kids’

Baby Nurseries

Guest

The master bedroom is the one room which is included in 100 percent of new homes, according to the NAHB. The square footage and the home’s style often dictate whether you’ll see additional ones. About one-third of new houses have a guest room. The majority then are either kids’ bedrooms or baby nurseries.

It’s a safe bet that the nursery becomes the child’s room with a bit of remodeling. Basic principles underlie each one. Comfort is essential. Nothing should interfere with anyone getting a good night’s sleep.

D. Features

Think of your empty bedroom as an artist’s canvas. Now comes the fun part of filling the bedroom with color and furnishings. You’ll often see brighter hues in kids’ rooms and nurseries to bring a positive energy to the room. Adult rooms lean toward the quieter side. Let’s explore your options.

1. Floor Material and Color

Carpeting is the preferred choice of flooring in over 40 percent of bedrooms. It’s the top choice for nearly 50 percent of the total market. It adds an appealing texture to a room while keeping your feet warm on a cool winter night. Nylon and polyester lead the list of fiber types. But it’s not your only choice. Other favorites include:

Other materials lag far behind these options. Area rugs are another feature to consider no matter what type of flooring. You can use decorative ones like Oriental styles to create a focal point. Brown and beige dominate the color choices in nearly two-thirds of bedrooms. Take into account the type of room to help you choose an appropriate fiber type.

2. Ceiling

You might not give a lot of thought to the ceiling, but it can also add to the impact of a room. Exposed ceiling beams, for example, can create a cozy feel in a cottage or country style bedroom. For a less expensive option, simply paint it in a different color or give it a different texture. That will work in all types of bedrooms.

3. Furnishing

Unless you’re remodeling a room, the furniture will likely be your most expensive investment. You can cut back on decorative pieces like headboards or opt for a DIY one. Don’t cut corners on your mattress. Your back will thank you. Standard sizes in inches (width by length) include:

Twin: 39 x 75

Full: 54 x 75

Queen: 60 x 80

King: 76 x 80

You can get a matching bedroom set for the rest of your pieces. You can also use a combination of dressers, bedside tables, and blanket chests in a cottage or eclectic room. You may find it helpful to plan out your floor plan with a ruler and graph paper. Be sure to account for space that you’ll need for opening dresser drawers and closets.

4. Lighting

Even if the room has an overhead light, you should consider adding a nightstand with a table lamp if just for the convenience. One on each side will create a pleasing symmetry for a traditional bedroom style. If your room includes warm colors, opt for a matching finish like bronze or cold. Likewise, chrome will fit in with a contemporary or modern decor.

5. Window Treatments

Choosing a window treatment often comes down to how much control you want over privacy and the amount of light a room receives. You can also include layers with curtains over blinds or shades. You’ll have more options for managing the natural light.

Remember that you can use window treatments for both decorative and functional purposes. You can wake up with the sun with a bedroom decked out in sheers that letting in some light. You can add lined curtains or drapes to a room with a northern exposure to keep it warm during the winter. Room-darkening shades or curtains are great options for kids’ rooms and nurseries.

6. Shelving and Storage

Shelving or free-standing bookcases are desirable features in a bedroom. You can fill them with your favorite novels interspersed with some personal mementos and photographs. In a child’s room, it’s a great place to store collections or toys. It also offers a way to showcase an accent piece in a complementary or contrasting color.

7. Fireplace and Surroundings

Most homes do not include a fireplace in any bedrooms. It’s a feature found in less than 20 percent. When present, natural materials like stone and wood are the favored choices for the surroundings. It creates a connection with nature that works well with a variety of styles including rustic and farmhouse.

E. Styles

Styles define a bedroom and act as a guide for its features and options. Some find it’s a good starting point for choosing from the types of bedrooms. Several kinds stand out as classics and new favorites. The top five choices are:

Contemporary

Traditional

Transitional

Modern

Eclectic

Don’t feel compelled to follow trends. You’ll like find that the type of room will lead you toward a particular decor. Transitional offers an excellent way to bridge the gap between the sleekness of contemporary with the comfort of traditional. It may speak to you as the ideal choice for your own master bedroom.

Others like country will make friends or family feel right at home in your guest room. You may find it helpful to keep the typical use of the room in mind to decide which to choose.

F. Sizes

Nearly 90 percent of bedrooms are either medium or large size. The NAHB Special Study found that the average square footage for a master bedroom is 309 and 481 for other types. The area increased with the total size of the new home. Master bedrooms ranged from 231 to 411 square foot and 216 to 731 for other rooms. Other rooms are typically 200 square foot or less.

Size is the limiting factor for any space. It can present a challenge in a compact room with the minimalist modern style. Likewise, it’ll take some thought for making an expansive bedroom feel inviting. Whatever the space you have, don’t feel like you have to fill every square inch on the floor or walls. Blank areas create resting places for your eyes.

G. Options

Adding other objects to your bedroom can prevent it from seeming boring if everything is neutral in color. You can use them to add pop with a complementary hue. Think of how a red bedside lamp would create an eye-catching focal point in a pale green room. But you’re not limited to color. A different texture or contrasting style will create the same effect.

1. Accent Pieces

You can use just about anything as an accent piece. A pair of wooden cross-country skis or weathered oars would make an attractive addition to a rustic bedroom. Netting over a bed would add to the exotic feel of a tropical room. You can create harmony with repeated shapes or designs. A neutral-colored room doesn’t have to feel uninviting.

2. Art

Artwork makes another excellent choice for giving a room its own character. An oversized piece or one in a contrasting color are great ways to highlight a signature piece. But like space, you should limit the extras to avoid a cluttered look. That’s why you should consider both the design elements and principles of design for these final touches.

H. Design Elements

Design elements are the building blocks that give a room its structure. That don’t exist in isolation but rather as a cohesive group. You’ll find that some styles rely on certain variations of them. In a kid’s room or nursery, they may not matter as much as the room’s overall theme and color scheme. Let’s go over how to use them to create the ideal look for your bedroom.

1. Color

Color is the most basic of design elements. Perhaps more than any other one, it sets the mood for your bedroom. Neutral shades remain the clear favorites. The top five in order include:

Brown

White

Gray

Beige

Black

You’ll notice that all of them are more sedate than the obvious energy with ones like red, orange, or yellow. They’re pleasing to the eye without being a distraction to rest. Each one includes a range of tints and shades of varying degrees of saturation. That’s why you see so many choices at a home improvement store.

It helps to remember the purpose of a room. With a bedroom, it is to create a relaxing and calming space. Save the brighter colors for the places where it can uplift the mood such as a dining room or kitchen. But that’s not to say you can’t use them at all. Rather, bolder shades can serve a different function as accent pieces rather than the entire color scheme.

2. Lines

Lines create unity in a room. You’ll see both clearly defined ones and others that are implied. Straight lines bring order and class to a room. They’re common features with styles like craftsman. Likewise, other decors embrace curved lines such as Victorian with its ornate details found on the furniture.

3. Shapes

You’ll find shapes in two or three-dimensional forms. Like lines, they may be suggested by certain shading patterns that make them appear real. You’ll see geometric ones in styles like industrial with its nod to factories and mechanical settings. Other decors like rustic take their cues from nature with freeform designs.

4. Texture

Texture adds interest and an inviting element to a bedroom. Some styles such as tropical thrive on natural textures such as bamboo and wicker. Layers are another excellent way to use it. Think of an ordered group of pillows on a bed made of different materials like cotton, silk, or faux fur.

5. Space

The goal whether it is the master bedroom or one for the kids is adequate space for furnishings and the occupants to move freely. A general guideline is to leave about three feet of space on any open sides of the bed. That will make a room feel less cluttered.

I. Principles of Design

The principles of design will help you use the design elements for the best effect in your bedroom. Keep them in mind as you plan the layout. The six basic ones are:

Unity/Harmony

Balance

Hierarchy

Scale/Proportion

Dominance/Emphasis

Similarity and Contrast

The focus of any room is to create a harmonious atmosphere. It’s the feeling that makes you want to stay in a place. The other principles define the styles. Some look best when there is symmetry such as traditional. Others like the edginess of asymmetry such as modern.

Hierarchy and scale come into play with objects you add to create patterns and relationships. Emphasis and contrast add character often in the form of accent pieces. They are the features that draw you into a room. Think of these principles as tools you can use to make the most of your decor.